Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler JK engine mounts

2014 Jeep Wrangler has coolant temps above 240

cnewman

cnewman

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Sorry if this is the wrong section for this. Thanks for the help

So I have a 2014 jku and recently my thermostat went out. I replaced the part and burped the system and the check engine light was erased and temps were normal for a month. Recently out of no where my coolant temps have been rising to about 235-245 when driving 40-55 mph. When I check the the transmission temps while driving on the dash I'm seeing 165ish sometimes higher or lower but nothing to be alarmed about.

What I've replaced.

Thermostat
Thermostat sensor driver side by tire
Water pump
Drained fluid
Burped engine several times on extremely steep hills.

The last things I could replace are the fan and the radiator.
The reason I believe the fan is fine because it turns on at 225-226 at full blast and operates as normal(I believe)
I'm not sure if it's the raidator or something else.

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Have you checked the thermostat? I know you said you replaced it, but there have been others who have had to replace a couple of times due to a faulty thermostat. I’m not very good at this, but have you tried to see at what temp the coolant is and feel with your hand the hose to feel the coolant move through it? Another option might be an infrared thermo to check the temps on either side of thermostat.
 
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Danarch said:
Have you checked the thermostat? I know you said you replaced it, but there have been others who have had to replace a couple of times due to a faulty thermostat. I’m not very good at this, but have you tried to see at what temp the coolant is and feel with your hand the hose to feel the coolant move through it? Another option might be an infrared thermo to check the temps on either side of thermostat.
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Hey thanks for the reply, I did swap it out a month or so ago and it seems to be working as normal opening up around 195 I believe.
The hose does get hot but I'm wondering if the fluid is just staying in the radiator side and not going past the thermostat. I'm going to take it off and try the boil test to see if it opens.
I was starting to think it might be that after I tried burping the engine and the fluid started filling up my funnel, I'll probably end up buying another one just in case.

The hose tho does get extremely hot around 226 connected to the thermostat. I also noticed that once it reaches boiling point and the coolant rises into my funnel I use to burp the engine. The hoses start to shake and seems like they are not pulling more coolant through. Especially the one connected to the thermostat.

I'll also try the thermo reader and see what I get. Im going to buy another thermostat today and swap it out also and see what happens. Hopefully it works I'll update afterwords.
 
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BLACKJKU said:
You didn't accidentally mix the 2 different kinds of coolant did you?
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I was using prestone platinum coolant. I did mix the prestone all vehicle and the platinum and it says it's ok to do so. Probably not the best idea. When I get the thermostat today after work I'm going to flush the system again and just use 1 type instead of mixing.

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Does your heater work? If the problem is the thermostat, typically the engine will overheat while the heater blows ambient air temp.
 
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Dirty Dog said:
Does your heater work? If the problem is the thermostat, typically the engine will overheat while the heater blows ambient air temp.
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Heater is good. Blows extremely hot air. I did notice that the 2 center air vents were hot while the drive and passenger side was slightly luke warm. Probably nothing though.
 
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BLACKJKU said:
Are you using a OEM t-stat? Someone else had a problem when they replaced there's and had to replace it again with a OEM before it would work properly.
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Unfortunately it isn't. I called my local Mopar dealer and they said it was back ordered. It's a carquest I believe. I'm going to test a duralast t stat later today just to see if maybe it will resolve the issue. I do have the t stat oem ordered but it won't be here for about 2 weeks :/
 
Couple questions before you install a new t-stat:
1. Did you check the temp setting for the new t-stat?
2. Do you have JScan or a similar to read OBD info?
3. Is the temp fluctuating with your driving? Cooler when driving and heating up when idle or stopped? Or is it pretty consistent?

Partsgeek.com has the t-stat in stock and it's where I bought mine a couple years ago.
This is the correct OEM part for the 2014 JKU 3.6 (same as mine): Mopar | W0133-2106497
 
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Anybodyhome said:
Couple questions before you install a new t-stat:
1. Did you check the temp setting for the new t-stat?
2. Do you have JScan or a similar to read OBD info?
3. Is the temp fluctuating with your driving? Cooler when driving and heating up when idle or stopped? Or is it pretty consistent?

Partsgeek.com has the t-stat in stock and it's where I bought mine a couple years ago.
This is the correct OEM part for the 2014 JKU 3.6 (same as mine): Mopar | W0133-2106497
Click to expand...

So the new t stat from car quest says 203. The hose does start to get hot around that time so I am questioning if that's the issue.

I don't have a jscan or a obd reader. I'll definitely pick one up today if I can find one local. If not any recommendations?

As of the temps. It seems to stay lower at idle 212-220 and same when driving at lower speeds (30mph 225f and at 45-55mph 230f or higher temps) the system seems to be doing what it needs to do pushing fluid through. but just isn't cooling off like it should.
 
cnewman said:
So the new t stat from car quest says 203. The hose does start to get hot around that time so I am questioning if that's the issue.
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When do you feel the upper hose start to get flow? If it's a 203, then the top radiator hose should start flowing around that temp. If the upper hose is flowing the minute you start the engine, the t-stat is bad/stuck open. When it gets hot is not as important as when the t-stat opens and coolant begins to flow thru the upper hose.

I my case a couple years ago, I kept getting a code that told me my coolant was not getting hot enough. My t-stat was stuck open, so the minute I started the engine, coolant was flowing thru the upper hose. Then when I changed to t-stat, my temp gauge was bouncing all over the place on the test drive which told me I hadn't gotten all the air out of the system.

cnewman said:
I don't have a jscan or a obd reader. I'll definitely pick one up today if I can find one local. If not any recommendations?
Click to expand...
There seems to be a lot of us on this board who have the JScan app paired with an OBD dongle, like this one:

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But, when you check all that out, do this as well:
  • Get the front end off the ground or on a nice incline
  • Add coolant up to the radiator cap, via the radiator. Do not add coolant via the reservoir.
  • Little at a time as the air is forced out thru the radiator top until it's done burping all the air out.
  • Once you feel like you've got all the coolant into the radiator it will take, start the engine and have someone looking at the temp gauge so you can mark the moment when the upper hose begins to flow.
The OBD and JScan combination make this much easier because you could have the app open while you're under the hood looking at the actual coolant temp when the upper hose starts flowing.

Back to the coolant for a sec.... are both of those Prestone coolants the same color? The reason I ask is one label says it's ready to use with a 50/50 dilution while the other says a 56/44 dilution and I'm a little concerned their not compatible?
 
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I'll have to double check when the fluid begins to flow, last time it seemed to be higher than 203 maybe around 220. Might have been my imagination.

Thanks for the recommendation on the reader. I've been looking to pick one up.

From what I've read they can be mixed and they're both green. It definitely wasn't a smart move on my behalf, I just couldn't remember what I bought at the time and trying to rush to fix it at night doesn't help(work late)

I'll try the instructions you've gave me and I appreciate it the help!
 
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So I decided to take it to my friends shop for a full diagnosis of the system. I'll keep everyone updated on what my buddy finds. So if anyone has this issue they will know what to look for.
 
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cnewman said:
Jesus were they oem or aftermarket?
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1st one OEM straight from a Dodge dealer . While warming up it would stick causing temp rise above normal . Temp gauge would creep up to 3/4 than stat would open and temp would drop to where it should be .

2nd after market . Wouldn’t open all the way , ever . So would occasionally start to run hot if driving at Hwy speeds in the mountains . It would cool down than heat up .Fan working properly .

3rd times the charm . Diff aftermarket , more expensive .Worker like it should . All were stamped with 190 or 195 degrees . One or the other can’t remember exactly but all were stamped with same operating temp number .
 
So just an update:

Took it to my mechanic (good friend)

He's done a pressure check on the system and it passed.

No leaks

He's removing the thermostat today to see if it's operating correctly

Also plans an electrical check and system / computer check.

I will keep updating as he finds out more
 
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